The use of germinated seeds in the human diet, especially the use of germinated cereals such as barley in the manufacture of beer, has been known since antiquity.
However, more recent uses of the enzymes produced in the newly formed sprout during the germination of the seed are also known.
EP 0,320,717 (ENIRICERCHE S.p.A), for example, describes a process for the preparation of enzymatic hydrolysates of proteins free of bitterness, using enzymes extracted from germinated sorghum seeds.
There still remains a need for flavoring agents which take a more direct and more complete advantage of the potential flavor content of the seeds of an edible plant, as well as a precise use of the agent thus prepared.